James and Cissy dive into the growing world of direct sales, Etsy stores, and special edition books, exploring how indie authors are expanding beyond Amazon and turning their books into premium gift products. They also discuss the importance of professional branding photography, why readers increasingly connect with authors personally, and the latest Meta AI lawsuit involving pirated books used for training AI models.

The episode features a detailed behind-the-scenes look at James's new Cold War-themed Etsy shop experiment, complete with slipcase box sets, MI6-style packaging, collectible golf balls, and premium gifting ideas inspired by the "gifting economy." Meanwhile, Cissy shares her experience with duplex paperback covers, sprayed edges, Etsy merchandise, and building collectible reader products around her romance worlds.

Key Talking points:

• Why professional author photography matters more than ever
• Building an author brand in the AI era
• Readers buying into the author as much as the books
• The Meta AI copyright lawsuit involving pirated books and LLaMA training
• Direct sales and Etsy as a growing opportunity for indie authors
• Turning books into collectible gift products
• BookVault duplex covers and special editions
• Creating reader merchandise tied to fictional worlds
• Using Etsy as a discovery platform for new readers
• SPS Live updates and upcoming sessions on direct selling

Resources mentioned:

• ProWritingAid – use code IWC15 for 15% off annual subscriptions: https://prowritingaid.com/
• SPS Live 2026: https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/spslive
• SPS Party 2026: https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/party-on-the-boat